The present invention relates to products particularly those for use in contact with the human body.
A cosmetic product which has been increasingly popular is massage bars. These products contain a solidified oil or fat moulded into a product which may be held easily in the hand. Alternatively a larger sized product may be made from which a small piece may be broken and then used. In use, the massage bar is applied to the skin of the recipient either as a complete bar or by breaking off a small piece of product which is then applied to the skin. These solid products are both popular for home use and for application by a professional masseur.
Products are known where some or all of the massage bar product is formed from fats having a relatively high solid fat content. If correctly manufactured, these fats which are firm and solid at room temperature will melt on contact with skin. However, such melting may require prolonged contact with skin. During this period of prolonged contact, the user being massaged is subject to the unpleasant feeling of hard fat in a solid form being applied to the skin.
In view of the above disadvantages in the use of hard massage bars, many users find it desirable to buy massage bars which melt easily and which are immediately soft to the touch and on the skin. This could of course be provided with by formulation of a massage bar containing a high proportion of soft fats with relatively low melting points. However such formulations would be difficult to deliver without the use of packaging. Packaging is to be avoided for reasons of cost but most importantly for the protection of the environment.
The present invention seeks to provide a solid cosmetic product which may be used as a massage bar and which allows for immediate contact with the skin without the user being massaged with hard solid fat which takes a significant period to melt when contacted with the skin.